Death toll reaches 72 in human-elephant conflicts in 15 yrs in Jhapa

Jhapa, June 27: A total of 72 people including seven foreigners died in Jhapa district from elephant attacks in the past 15 years. 

Dr Suman Bhul of Division Forest Office, Jhapa, said that 92 people sustained injuries from the elephant attacks.  

Likewise, five people succumbed to injuries from the elephant attacks in the last one year and six others were injured. 

As per the records of the past 15 years, five people have lost their lives in a year on an average in the conflicts with the elephants.

E-fencing, development of ponds, planting of fruit saplings and other activities are being undertaken in the district to reduce the human-elephant conflicts.    

However, Dr Lilanath Sharma of Forest Action Nepal said that human-elephant conflicts would not be reduced only from the e-fencing. "There should be reforms in the forest itself," he added.

Likewise, a total of 25 elephants were found dead in Jhapa district since 2006 and the number of elephant casualties is on the rise in the recent time.  

The Division Forest Office said that four elephants died to date in the current fiscal year while equal four elephants had died in the previous fiscal year due to animal-elephant conflicts. 

The government has provided more than Rs 96.8 million in relief to the victims suffered from elephant menace. The families of those killed by elephants are getting Rs 1 million and the injured ones get up to Rs 200,000, according to Dr Bhul. (RSS)